lgbtq friendly

Colorful Same-Sex Summer Wedding in Long Beach

Tawny and Angelina Esquivel’s Colorful Same-Sex Summer Wedding at Recreation Park Golf Course 18 - Long Beach, California

May 21, 2016

same sex wedding in Long Beach

Tawny and Angelina’s wedding literally was the Best Day Ever! We tell just about every client all the positive steps in the right direction these two ladies took to ensure they would have a seamless day. From awesome vendors to understanding the need for punctuality, including fun but also touching moments, and for exuding so much love, these are the reasons they were able to pull off a memorable wedding.

two brides on their wedding day

Tawny and Angelina decided to get ready for their big day in two separate areas which led to such a sweet first look moment. Tawny got ready surrounded by her wedding party while Angelina had not only her wedding party but her mom and sister too.

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wedding shoes
A guest appearance by Chewbacca

A guest appearance by Chewbacca


Tawny and Angelina planned a first look ahead of time and were set to arrive at the venue with enough time to celebrate this special moment. To our surprise they arrived even earlier than expected which allowed even more time for pre wedding pictures. We can not stop gushing over how stinking cute their first look was!

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couples first look at a wedding
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best first look at a wedding ever with two brides

Their wedding party shared the same spunk and humor the brides did which made for hilarious wedding party photos. The bright summer colors paired with those cool yellow parasols were perfect additions for the pictures.

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With the extra time Tawny and Angelina accrued by arriving early they were able to take more candid pictures as they walked from one area of the venue to the other. Heck yeah!

not your average wedding photos
not your average wedding photo
intimate portraits at lesbian wedding
not your average wedding photo shot
lesbian wedding
lesbian weddings

For the ceremony the couple created a multipurpose program that served as informational and interactive. One side listed the names of the wedding party while the flip side had a cross word puzzle! And to top it off it also served as a shield from the sun for guests. Tawny and Angelina, along with members of their wedding party, created a custom paper pinwheel ceremony arch to attach to the gazebo at Recreation Park Golf Course 18. They had a sand unity ceremony and passionate first kiss!

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Cocktail hour consisted of an alternative guest sign in. Instead of having the typical book for guests to fill out Tawny and Angelina built a bench themselves, had guests sign their names and leave messages, then glazed it and have it to enjoy all year long at their house. Instead of favors guests got to enjoy a caricature artist, Joseph Yakovetic, capture their animated self portraits.

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guest bench
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caricature

Tawny and Angelina wowed their guests with a grand ballroom, upgraded floor length linen, and chivari chairs. In keeping with their circular theme they had paper lanterns for centerpieces and as well as various circle decor throughout the room.

Long Beach wedding venue
wedding table setting with grey linen
wedding lantern centerpiece
lantern centerpiece
fun wedding centerpiece
sweetheart table with fireplace

This duo had an exhilarating grand entrance into an epic choreographed first dance!

grand entrance
choreographed first dance
non traditional first dance
grand finale of first dance as mrs and mrs
Cheers to the couple on a wonderful performance!

Cheers to the couple on a wonderful performance!


After all that fun it was time for some seriousness. Father-Daughter dances are always such an emotional moment. We love to see which songs were chosen and like to bet on how many seconds in will the dads make it before crying. But Angelina and her father Anthony win the award for most tears shed during a Father-Daughter dance! Angelina selected Luther Vandross’ song “Dance with my Father Again” since Anthony was wheelchair bound. He was determined to stand up and actually dance with his daughter, which with the help of his wife and other daughter, he made possible.

father daughter dance
emotional  father daughter dance
father daughter dance with wheelchair bound father
father daughter dance with emotion

Did we mention this was one of our favorite weddings? Tawny and Angelina had the most thought out timeline that even had sunset photos scheduled in! While guests enjoyed dinner the couple got to sneak away for some awesome shots out on the private patio.

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We all know that cake cutting has become a staple at weddings but not for all of our clients. Some opt out for dessert bars instead or even pie. These ladies went with Italian ice cream from Rita’s Italian Ice. Instead of their first slice of cake as a married couple they enjoyed their first bite of ice cream.

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What a perfect way to end a perfect wedding. Choosing a sparkler exit was perfect for these two ladies who just radiate any space!

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sparkler exit
kissing sparkler exit

best lesbian wedding in Long Beach

The Esquivels have been married for almost three years, have bought a home, and we are so excited to announce this: they are set to be parents in October of 2019!! We have planned and coordinated close to 90 weddings now and their wedding ranks Top 5, it may even be in the top position! Attention to detail is key but so is listening to the advice your coordinator or planner suggests. We wish Tawny and Angelina nothing but continued happiness and success in the future.


Dream Team:

Coordinator: Rock n’ Willow Events \\ Venue: Recreation Park Golf Course 18 \\ Photography: Sergey Green \\ Videography: EAV Weddings \\ DJ: DJ Award \\ Ice Cream: Rita’s Italian ice \\ Caricature: Joseph Yakovetic \\ Rentals: Striking Elegance \\ Linen: Dream Decor \\ Dresses: Strut Bridal

Beach Themed Same Sex Wedding

Mayra + Angelica's romantic beach themed same sex wedding in the South Bay - with Ceremony at Los Verdes Golf Course in Palos Verdes California and Reception at Carson Civic Center in Carson, California. 10.25.2014

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Mayra and Angelica got engaged on their 9th anniversary as a couple and knew right away they were going to set their wedding date for their 10th anniversary. What a better gift to receive than a shiny ring! After much planning and budgeting they decided to have a split location wedding with the ceremony and reception in two different locations. They opted for the Los Verdes Golf Course site in Palos Verdes, California for their ceremony and the Carson Civic Center in their hometown of Carson, California for the reception.

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The beautiful ocean view from Los Verdes Golf course complimented the touches of their beach theme and tiffany blue color scheme very well. along with a bright, sunny October day the ceremony went off without a glitch!

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The couple chose not to see eachother prior to their ceremony which made for such an exciting first look. they actually return back to their ceremony site each year on their anniversary and recreate this photo below --->

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Look at all the cuteness!

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One of our favorite parts of the ceremony was when the photographers asked all the guests to form a giant heart, it turned out perfect!!

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As the guests traveled to the reception location we rushed over to help Choura Events get ready for cocktail hour.

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Mayra and Angelica spent a lot of time paying attention to detail and putting together their decor elements and it showed. Just look at all!

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sweetheart table
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They were welcomed in to the reception as the new MRS + MRS and definetly got the party started with the help of their DJ Vince West

After dinner it was off to do the traditional wedding things: First dance, Bouquet toss, Garter toss, and Cake cutting!

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firostdance
bouquet toss
bouquet toss

Just look at this yumminess from Torrance Bakery! Oh and we surprised the couple with a custom memory bottle made by yours truly!! :)

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This wedding was a long and winding road to get to. Mayra + Angelica had to face many battles over their ten years together. those hurdles made their wedding day that much more special. They are coming up on their four year anniversary and have since welcomed a new pup to their family, Roxie Rose!

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Mayra + Angelica Sabatin with Angela and Silvia from Rock n’ Willow Events

Mayra + Angelica Sabatin with Angela and Silvia from Rock n’ Willow Events

Vendor Team- Coordination: Rock n' Willow Events Photographer: Sachiko Studio Ceremony: Los Verdes Golf Course Reception: Carson Civic Center Catering: Choura Events Flowers + Linen: Avalon Flowers DJ: DJ Vince West Cake: Torrance Bakery Videography: Joey Dones